Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do. In question time on 18 June 2014 the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that I have claimed that I was qualified to be the parliamentary secretary for Pacific Islands because I regularly swim at Sydney's beaches. In fact, what actually occurred is that in an article published on the ABC website on 28 March 2013 I stated that I had been involved in surf lifesaving for about 28 years, and I worked with Sydney's and Australia's multicultural communities and was fortunate to work with a number of people from a Pacific Island background and they are very warm and generous people.